What is Structural Pest Control?

Insects are the predominant species of the animal kingdom worldwide! They inhabit every place on earth, even the polar areas of the globe! When we talk of "structural pests" we are referring to those that may inhabit our personal dwellings like our homes and yards. It is in these locations where our experience with pests is easy to relate to. However, commensal pests such as ants, bed bugs, cockroaches, fleas, mosquitoes, rodents (mice and rats), spiders, termites, ticks, wasps, and other stinging insects present control challenges in many other places that may not be so obvious, such as businesses we visit, restaurants, schools, school buses, doctor's offices, assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and hospitals. Remarkably, this is just a short list of places pests can infest!

Structural pest control then, is an essential service provided to consumers to protect both health and property.

In order to gain control of a pest problem, pest professionals employ a vast array of tools and techniques, including the use of pesticides. For example, insects like termites, can infest the wooden components of your home and may go undetected for months or even years, thereby potentially causing thousands of dollars of damage to a dwelling.  A common strategy employed by the structural pest control industry is to install a chemical (pesticide) barrier around the foundation of a home that is protective against infestation and/or colonization.

Professionals working in this field are highly trained to identify areas where pests can harbor and, utilizing proper control methods and exclusionary techniques in conjunction with the utilization of pesticides that, when applied as the label indicates, protect the occupants of a structure, lawn or garden and minimize the threat of health-related problems caused by pests in structures.

For a more informative and interactive look at the pests that commonly infest structures and property, we would like to direct your attention to the National Pest Management Association's "Pests in the House: Common Household Bugs Identifier".

Who Are We?

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The Association of Structural Pest Control Regulatory Officials (ASPCRO) is a professional association comprised of the state regulatory officials, responsible for regulating services provided by the structural pest control industry in their respective states.  The Association's primary goal is to protect public health in the management of household (structural) pests performed by professional pest control companies.  ASPCRO accomplishes this goal through the ongoing working relationships it has with the structural pest control industry, federal partners such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the pesticide chemical industry and academia, all working toward improving the public health services provided to consumers nationwide.

For a more comprehensive look at who we are, check out this PowerPoint presentation.

Our Purpose

Our member states work to improve

  • The delivery of pest control services to our consumers Nationwide
  • Consumer understanding of the laws and rules established by governing state regulatory authorities related to the control and eradication of structural pests and their environs
  • The enforcement and administration of laws regarding structural pest control
  • The protection of public health, safety and welfare of the citizens in each state where pesticides are employed to control insect and vermin pests
  • The protection of the environment from the misuse of pesticides
  • Professional standards for the structural pest control industry Nationwide, and
  • To promote, conduct, and evaluate research related to the purposes we have stated herein.
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